The aim of this study was to explore comprehension monitoring and perceived use of reading strategies as factors of reading comprehension. Participants were elementary school students from the fifth to the eighth grade. Error correction and text sensitivity tasks from the Metacomprehension test (Pazzaglia, De Beni, & Cristante, 1994), and the…

A study investigated the use of specific error correction and writing instruction techniques in a composition course designed for foreign graduate students. Weekly in-class student essays on assigned topics were returned to them ungraded but containing explanations of grammar points, confusing vocabulary, content, and organization. A conscious…

A study at Purdue University (Indiana) investigated three English-as-a-Second-Language students' understanding of and attitudes toward teachers' written feedback on compositions. All were enrolled in an expository prose class for non-native speakers of English, and all were freshmen of varied ages and backgrounds. Data were gathered in videotaped…

This study investigated the differences in language patterns in classroom conversations between university students of English for academic purposes and two native speakers: the teacher and a native English-speaking student selected to provide English speech practice. Transcripts of role-play interactions in two groups (one assisted by the…

The book provides over 1,200 conversation topics for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction, grouped into six kinds of conversation activities. An introductory chapter describes the monitored conversation procedure, a classroom technique for recognizing language usage errors and reinforcing the correct form or vocabulary item. Subsequent…

Recent research on language learning and its implications for language teachers and others interested in language pedagogy and practice is summarized. The review takes the form of the following pedagogical questions: In what ways does knowing one language help and hinder the learning of a second?; What is "comprehensible input," and is it really…

Computer software was developed by a faculty member for college-level introductory commercial French to facilitate mastery of basic vocabulary and vocabulary manipulation techniques. The materials targeted three common areas of student difficulty: large amounts of new vocabulary, unfamiliar business concepts, and the formal style of business…

Stage Two of the Title IV Quality Control Project is an evaluation of quality of the United States Department of Education's major student aid programs. The study sought to identify, measure, and analyze error during the 1985-86 academic year in each of the five major Title IV programs, including the Pell Grant program, the Campus-Based programs…

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of overall, selective, and no error correction on the quality and quantity of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' writing. A total of 107 secondary school students in 3 classes participated in this study. These classes were randomly assigned to the three treatment conditions: overall…

Procedures for five English-as-a-Second-Language dictation exercises designed to enhance students' ability to self-correct are described, and suggested texts are presented. The self-correcting dictations allow students to practice their listening, gain instant feedback, and have practical information in hard form quickly. They also reduce the…

An instructional module designed to help prepare college-level teaching assistants (TAs) for their duties in second language instruction is presented. The module addresses issues in explicit second-language grammar instruction and the classroom presentation and use of grammar-related instructional materials. An introductory section outlines…

Reports on a study investigating how Americans respond to English as a Second Language (ESL) speech depending on the non-native speaker's accent and whether there were errors in the ESL speech. Findings indicate that Americans exhibit different cultural prejudices towards different foreign speakers depending on the accent of the speakers. (50…

A college teacher describes his approach to student subject-area writing, which includes assignment of several short papers to be written according to carefully prescribed guidelines (appended to the article), clear grading criteria, high expectations, availability for individual conferences, rewards for improvement, encouragement of writing for…

Discussion of the controversy over freshman composition course requirements looks at the origins and evolution of such courses in American higher education, philosophy underlying rhetoric instruction, criticisms of freshman English courses, the writing-across-the-curriculum movement, attitudes about mechanical correctness in writing instruction,…

Presents various tips that are useful in the classroom for teaching second languages. These tips focus on teaching basic computer operations; using annotations to foster error corrections in language; using video clips as a part of a U.S. history or culture-based English-as-a-Second-Language lesson; using karaoke to speak with less inhibition; and…